Can We Learn To Live Again
by swirling.words
Summary: Max left to protect the flock, to give them a better life. What happens when she leaves a surprise for them four years later, but does not come back herself. Will Fang accept what she left behind? And will she ever return home? FAXNESS eventually. Please try it, it's way better than it sounds.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

**Max P.O.V (Five years in the past)**

It has been four years. Four years since I had willingly handed myself over to the whitecoats, the monsters. It has all happened so fast that all I could do was comply with their orders; no roundhouse kick or U&A was getting me out of this one.

It was the dead of night and Fang was on first watch, (well he WAS on watch), but when I was woken up by my bodies struggle for oxygen I noted that the whole flock was knocked out, all helplessly lying their merciless to the erasers standing over them. I attempted to scream, kick, fly anything to free myself, obviously the two erasers glaring down on me, their boots on my chest, had other ideas. Finally I stilled my body, saving what energy I had left for my escape, however all thoughts of a getaway dissipated when Jeb walked out the shadows. His face wasn't plastered with a satisfied grin, or hungry looking eyes, but rather remorse as he glanced upon the flock. Once completing his evaluation he bent close to my face and whispered,

"It's over Max. Stop trying to fight it, you've lost and now you're coming home". I could have ripped him limb from limb with complete disregard for anyone who stood in my way, my home would never be somewhere within the same vicinity as him, let alone the same building. And lets not pretend we don't know where he was talking about, The School.

"I… am… not… going… anywhere… with… you", the words stammered out replacing what was supposed to be fierce with weak and helpless.

"Max you need to understand, if you come with us that's it, the flock is safe. They can go on to live normal lives, Nudge can have real friends, Iggy and Gazzy can build bomb without the intent of using them for self-defense and Fang can finally find that island to settle down in, like he's always wanted. We will not hunt, track or attack them anymore, as long as they don't hunt us or look for you." Tears stung my eyes as I thought about the prospects of their future if I left now, it might not be perfect, but they would be safe, safer than they would have ever been with me. Minutes dragged on as I contemplated my options and with regret I made my decision. I planted my gaze firmly on Jeb's and drew on my remaining strength, and gave him the faintest on nods. A satiated smile crept across all the erasers faces, although my attention stayed with Jeb as he battled for his face to remain passive, especially when tears welled up in his eyes, daring to fall.

Before I had the chance to process what I was seeing, strong hands were hauling me to my feet and binding my hands and wings, intentionally tying them just a little to tight. I felt a growl bubble to the top of my throat but restrained myself as I looked upon the lifeless flock, checking that each of their chests were rising and falling. I was pulled from my trance as someone began dragging me off in the direction of a gentle hum (probably from a car). A sudden feeling of recognition surrounded me like a net in water as I came to the conclusion that I was never going to see the flock again, in my time of struggle I looked longingly into Jeb's eyes, pleading with him for just one last goodbye. Instantly he understood my panic and stopped whoever was dragging me, taking me by the arm over to where the flock slept. With his boot he gently nudged Fang awake, and we waited; a blur of words spinning through my head as I tried to construct a sentence, any sentence, to explain why I was going and why they shouldn't look for me and how I loved them and that I needed to do this.

All thoughts ceased to exist when he awoke, but did not move. It dawned on me, they had been knocked out and then paralyzed, Fang would be going nowhere for at least four more hours. However, his eyes told the story, everything he wanted to say and do, they lit up with fury at Jeb and the erasers, and grew in panic when he saw my face, already tear stained.

I leant down and placed my forehead on his,

"I have to go," I spoke gently. Fang's eyes widened further with understanding.

"If I leave, you are free, under one condition, which is that you don't look for me or go anywhere near The School again. I need you to understand, okay? I am doing this to save you, I need you to take the kids far away and let them live a normal life. Don't let them forget who they are, don't let them give up because I left. Make sure Nudge still babbles on about everything, make sure Iggy never forgets that you're his eyes to the world, make sure Gazzy knows that growing up to be a sexist pig like you and Iggs is unacceptable and make sure Angel knows that she will always be my baby". Fang's face mimicked mine; tear streaked and pained, but I had to continue.

"And you, don't blame yourself, because I know you will. Forgive and forget the bad, live with the good memories and learn to keep on living because Fang I am going to be so mad at you if you don't. You are my best friend, my right hand man, an equally as awful chef, a wonderful father and brother and probably the love of my life; so I need you to go and take the kids to that beautiful island you once told me about and live life for every moment cause we never know when it's gonna be our last". I had finally gained composure and was just staring into my best friends eyes, attempting to soothe the pain I knew was killing him on the inside.

"I know we were supposed to get through this together, be together forever watch the Earth go up in flames as we smile from above and escape this hateful world, but that's just not in the card's right now, so let me save you just one last time".

With my parting words I placed a kiss on his lips and stood, and with one final glance, walked towards the erasers and the end of, well, me.

**Fang P.O.V (still the past)**

I heard her words. I watched her go. I struggled. I cried. I felt my heart shatter, and there was nothing I could do about it because she was gone, and this time it was for good.

**Okay so that was my first, chapter I hope you liked it. Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

**Max P.O.V (present day)**

Max: 18

Fang: 18

Iggy: 18

Nudge: 15

Gazzy: 12

Angel: 10

Nicky: 2

Four years almost to the day. Four years since I've been stuck in this hellhole. I can't explain what I've been up to cause those memories have be shoved deep into a box, (I mean way, way, waaay deep), and I have no want to open it and share. Well, at least not yet. Just as you would expect I am jammed in a dog crate with limited space, and that space practically became non-existent when Nicky moved. There is not much I want to say about her either, except that she is my daughter.

Today had started off fairly normal, the whitecoats took Nick, they brought her back bruised and battered around six hours later and I almost killed them. However, an unexpected surprise was when Ari walked in, offering a lopsided smile. Now before you all freak out and conjure up mental images of how Ari should die let me tell you that he has changed, and I mean it! About three years ago it was as if someone had turned on his humanity switch. Not only did he care about me, he was protective and selfless when it came to both Nick and me. For the past three years he has been sneaking me food and medicine along with information about The School's plans for us. When he sauntered in this sunny day in hell I had been expecting some bread, maybe an aspirin for my non-stop headaches but instead he offered me a set of keys.

"These keys will unlock your crate, the door to the room, the front gate as well as a car parked out front if you want it. It's time for you to escape Max, take your daughter and find the flock and live the life that you deserve," he whispered, straining to hold back the tears that were rimmed around his eyes. Then he left. But not before slipping a file into the crate; and never looked back. As he walked away I got a quick glance at the back of his neck, and my breath hitched in my throat. His expiration date had appeared. That's why he was risking his life for me, because it was going to be over shortly anyway… My respect for Ari, (if it could even get a bigger) swelled, why wouldn't you spend your last breathes defying the people who ruined you? Turned you into a monster? A monster, which could only be over looked by the ones who loved you. It then hit me like a tonne of bricks (apologies for the cliché), that Ari was going to die, and once again I had no control…

Minus my flawless escape in the dead of night and multiple (and probably hysterical looking), attempts to get airborne whilst still holding Nicky you are all caught up on my life these past four years. Now I found myself slumped in a tree in the middle of nowhere, I had never felt so at home. Who knew that the feeling of pine needles digging into your back and your legs resting against the wood, rubbing the your skin raw, could feel so good? Feel so comforting. I was free. My daughter was free. And we were finally going home.

**Okay, so that was the second chapter. I hope you liked it, I'm looking for at least 5 more reviews before I post the next ****chappy, 10 would be amazing! Remember more reviews - faster updates :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I am soooo sorry that I have not updated in a while, will promise to update every 5-7 day at least! :) enjoy**

**Chapter 3:**

**Max P.O.V**

Around two days later we found ourselves sitting on the outskirts of a property in Arizona, marveling at the impressive estate that lay before us surrounded by acres of grassland as well as a lake. This was where they were living? Are you serious? My heart swelled with pride at what Fang has accomplished, it was no island but it was certainly far more than I could have ever offered the flock four years ago. Now you might be wandering how I know this is where they live, well I found that out in the file that Ari had given me, not much else was in their apart from two ID's (one for Nick and for myself).

My daydream was cut short as I heard noise from above and realized it was the flock, four strong, sturdy figures flew above but I had no time to drink it all in as I was crashing through the nearby brush to find a safe hiding spot. I knew I shouldn't hide from them, but I just hadn't found the courage yet to face them, so for now I will just watch. As they came to land I got my first clear view of my flock.

Nudge had turned out to be truly beautiful, with long legs, untouched brown skin and dewy brown eyes. She had become a women. Iggy had shot up and his once scrawny body was now toned and defined along with his hair now transitioning into a dirtier blond. Gazzy, however, had changed the most, his once baby blues were now dark and his hair had changed to a more light chocolate brown.

Although, timed stopped when my eyes fell upon Fang, he was the same but completely different. His hair still hung in front of his eyes, but now it looked limp, his eyes were still onyx black but they had lost that unmistakable spark, his wings were still impressively large and gloriously black but his shoulders hung low and his face was as per usual passive but did not share the same smile that hung from the lips of the other kids.

My heart sank to somewhere around my stomach as I realized he hadn't done what I had asked. He hadn't forgiven himself and learned to live life without me. To say I was heart broken was an understatement, but I was back and I would fix the mess I had left in my wake. To distract myself from my heartache, I searched for the fifth member, the youngest one, my baby, Angel.

Unable to see her I bent down and whispered into Nicky's ear,

"Honey do you think you could find aunt Angel for me." A smile sprang to her face and she closed her eyes, tuning into all the surrounding sounds. While she's searching, I should probably tell you at least a little more about my daughter.

Well about a year ago the scientists came to the conclusion there was nothing more they could learn from me, so they decided to have me make something they could learn from; and presto we have Nicky. She is gifted, more so than Angel ever will be, for starters she can heal, (both herself and others), she can read and communicate with her mind using words and images, she can fly at super speed like me, and she has impeccable hearing – even compared to me and the flock. So that's what she's doing now, using her hearing to find Angel. I waited a few more minutes; just taking in the view of the flock when I heard sobs coming from the lump cradled in my arms and went on immediate alert.

"Nicky? Honey what's wrong?"

"I tried listening for aunt Angel like you s… said."

"You couldn't find her?" She shook her head.

"That's alright, I'm sure she's somewhere around."

"No, she… she isn't", Nicky gasped out between sobs.

"When I couldn't hear her I looked into the flocks mind in…incase they knew where sh…she was". I nodded urging her on.

"And when I looked inside Daddy's all I found was sadness, sadness for losing you an… and aunt Angel". My eyes widened in panic. What does she mean losing Angel? How could that be possible, they promised they would leave the flock alone if I came willing.

"They broke their promise Mummy, about a ye… year ago when they were done with you they took aunt Angel. It almost destroyed them all, but esp… especially Dad…" She trailed off, attempting to compose herself and keep quiet. But I didn't even realize, I was numb, they took my baby and they were torturing her just like they did to me. The difference is she didn't have Ari, a guardian angel, watching over her like I did, she was completely alone.

After spending the night (yet again in a tree), I had formulated a plan. Nicky hated it, I hated it, the flock would hate it, but it was necessary.

So, the next morning I ushered Nick up to the flock's doorstep with nothing but a letter from me in tow, and after making sure she had knocked on the door, re-treated to the sky and flew off in the direction of The School, I was getting Angel back.

**There you go, another chapter. I hope you liked it, please REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okaaaay guys, cause of all the nice reviews, I have updated quickly and cause this choppy is short I will probably update again today :D. My christmas present to you guys! Hope you enjoy**

**Chapter 4:**

**Gazzy P.O.V**

I was up first, (as per usual), and was making breakfast, I mean why wasn't Iggy doing this - HE'S THE COOK! To most families this would be considered enough food for an army, instead of six hung… four, I mean four hungry teenagers. There was a knock at the door and as I was the only one up so I abandoned the stove and went to answer the door. First mistake. As I let it swing open a ghost from the past greeted me. Standing before me clad in a torn, stained t-shirt and over sized jeans was Max, well toddler Max that is, as the kid only came up to about mid-thigh. If I wasn't shocked enough the little girl smiled shyly up at me and murmured,

"Hi uncle Gazzy", whilst simultaneous shrugging her shoulders to reveal a familiar looking pair of black wings. Then the world went black and I hit the floor (second mistake), not before hearing the gasp of Nudge behind me.

**Nudge P.O.V**

"FANG, IGGY! GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW", I practically screamed after seeing Gazzy faint! Both boys came tumbling down the stairs, accompanied by bed head and bad breath. Ignoring their current state I gestured to Gazzy and then the little girl standing at the door who had backed up down the porch.

"What the heck happened?", Fang spluttered out, while Iggy and I made our way towards the intruder.

When I got close enough I realized why Gazzy had 'hit the floor', she looked exactly like Max; eyes, hair, nose, everything! However, I almost 'hit the floor' myself when I noticed the black wings the girl was sporting; she was the perfect blend of Max and Fang and she was standing shivering on our doorstep looking up at me. I averted my eyes from hers as they mimicked the bambi eyes that Angel had… is… notorious for. Before I could react Iggy had stepped forward and bundled her up in his jacket before swinging her up into his arms and carrying her inside.

Once we had all gathered inside Fang and I gave Iggy quizzical looks, how could he just bring an intruder into our home like that? Almost reading our minds Iggy offered up a simple explanation,

"Look at her!" we both did, gosh the resemblance between her and Max was uncanny.

"She's family, and I won't leave her outside to freeze to death." And with that Ig carried her into the living room and plopped her down onto the couch.

**So that was chapter 4. Please review, any advice and constructive criticism would be great! Thank you**


	5. Chapter 5

**As promised another chappy! If you guys review I may even update again tomorrow. I am loving writing so much lately. Anyway enjoy!**

**Chapter 5:**

**Nicky P.O.V**

I could already tell this was bad. People were fainting, glaring at each other, avoiding my eye and Daddy just looked completely speechless. Finally aunty Nudge sat down in front of me, and glared at everyone else to do the same. She must have learnt that from mum, which brought a smile to my face.

"Hi sweetie."

"Hi aunty Nudge." A look of shock crept onto her face as she realized I knew her, but she quickly regained control of her facial muscles and continued:

"Can I ask who you are? And why you're here?"

"My mummy brought me, she wanted to stay but she couldn't. She said you guys would look after me until she got back." I smiled proudly at the mention of mum again.

"Umm, okay. Whose your mum?" aunt Nudge asked tentatively, (hmmm aunty or aunt? Not sure which one I prefer).

"Maximum Ride." I felt as if the air in the room had frozen over, all their face had dropped. Oh no. Had I made a mistake telling them, but mummy said they were friends, why would they not want to know I was her daughter? I mean I knew they had an idea cause of what I looked like – I guess having it brought to reality caught them all off guard.

"Max… Max is your mother? She brought you here? When? How? Where did she go?" the bombarding questions were beginning to make it harder to breath, the last time I was questioned like this was back at The School from the whitecoats. I began to hyperventilate, tears stung the back of my eyes, the room seemed to close in and get very warm and all background noise was suddenly heightened.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Calm down you're stressing her out, can't you see that?" And within seconds I was curled up in aunty Nudges (yep it's definitely aunty!) arms as she attempted to soothe me.

"Th… there's a letter for y… you. She t… told me to give it t… to you", I hiccupped, and then reached into my pocket and handed the letter from mummy to aunty Nudge.

**I hope you are liking the story, and I would really appreciate it if you could review, pretty please :D. Have an amazing New Years!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hope you all had a fab New Years! Here is chapter 6, my gift to you for 2015 ;) enjoy...**

**Chapter 6:**

**Nudge P.O.V**

I stared down at the letter for less than a second before unfolding it and beginning to read out loud,

" _Hi everyone, it's Max. I have missed you guys so much. I know that everything must not seem to make much sense so, I'll just get right to it. For the past four years I been at The School (location unknown), and for the first year they did the usual testing, trying to learn more about us. However, they soon came to realize I had nothing much to offer in terms of information, so they decided to study an unexplored area of Avian hybrids, and that was birth and their offspring. And guess who was chosen for the part? That would be me, aren't I lucky? So after 9 months of being poked, prodded and pushed to my limits, the girl (who I hope is still with you), was born. She is my daughter, flesh and blood. I love her as much as any of you guys. Her name is Nicky, and she is amazing. I know parents gloat about their children all the time, but, this is different, she really is unique. Like Angel she has the ability to read and communicate through her mind, she has ultra speed, impeccable hearing as well as the ability to heal. She is the most loving and kind person you will ever meet and despite what the whitecoats have done to her, she is untainted by hate and evil. You will love her, like she already loves you. She doesn't know much about you, however, she does know who you are and that you are important to me. Fang, you once wrote that I was the most beautiful girl with wings or without, I am willing to take second place."_ I stared down at the now tear stained letter in shock. Max, our Max was really alive, but she left us again. Attempting to close the floodgates I read on,

"_Now, the reason I am not telling you these things myself is because I can't come home, not when a piece of my heart is not there. I am going to find and bring back Angel. Don't attempt to follow me, you know your safety is only guaranteed if you don't go anywhere near The School"._ Did I just read that right?

She's gone after Angel. Is this woman crazy? Is she on a constant suicide mission or something? I glanced up from my corner of the room and they boys faces were blank, they were all lost in the magnitude of what was unfolding before us, I was about to speak when Nicky said,

"Keep going". Returning my focus back to the letter I continued:

"_I need you to look after __our __my daughter. She has suffered enough and deserves to experience a real life, even if it is only for a while. I hope to be back soon, but I won't promise my return when we all know that is questionable, but if one day you find me at your door step I won't be alone. It was so great to see you all the other day, Fang thank you for taking care of them. Max."_

I couldn't hold back the tears anymore; I dropped the letter and sank back against the cushions. Within seconds I felt small arms around my neck, nuzzling her face into my shoulder, trying to comfort me.

I had never witnessed such a deathly silence that had taken refuge in our living room.

**So there it is, I know they have been a little short but I promise the next ones I have written are much longer, so you know the drill please review review review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**So this chapter and the one before kinda link, so I decided to be kind and give you both today, ****hope you like it + once again I am aware it is short but do not fret they are getting MUCH longer as I keep writing :D hope you like this one.**

**Chapter 7:**

**Fang P.O.V**

"I'm going after her", I announced finally breaking the silence after what seemed like days.

"No! Fang weren't you listening? The School will come after us again; we will be on the run like we were before. We cannot risk it, Max is strong she has survived this much, she will make it back," Gazzy stated while simultaneously placing himself between the door and me; Iggy followed suit.

"I refuse to stand here while the women I love is once again out there alone risking her life for us!" My blood was boiling, how could they so blindly follow the orders of Max when she wasn't even here to give them?

"Fang you can't go, you have a responsibility here." I was about to turn around and tell Nudge that Max _is_ my responsibility and that the three of them could handle themselves for a little while, when I realized who she was speaking about… and turned my gaze onto mini Max. Looking at this kids face almost broke me down right there; she was an exact copy of Max. The Max I loved. The Max I lost. The Max who might die trying once again to save one of us.

All the pent up anger and frustration unleashed itself within in me and by reflex I turned around and got lost in the sound of splintering wood and the feeling of blood trickling down my knuckles. I groaned placing my hands on the wall before sliding down it, sitting on the floor. I felt cool hands on my arm and went to shrug them off before realizing it was Nicky, my, our daughter. I gulped at the thought. I was eighteen, I couldn't be a parent, this kid deserved way better than what I could offer her.

"It's okay, mummy thinks the same thing everyday," she said in a small voice giving me a reassuring smile before sliding her hands down to my knuckles. Before I could warn her a tingling sensation was running through my hands as I watched, wide eyed, as my skin knit itself back together and the dried blood dissipated, vanished before my eyes. She had healed me.

"Mummy had told me two things before she left. One was that I could always trust you guys, cause you were the ones who got her through these past four years and every other day before that." I held back tears, motioning for her to continue,

"And the second was… that you forgot how to live without her because you never knew how, and she is so sorry that she broke you. But, she said that I would be able to heal you." And with that she offered a toothy grin, plopped herself in my lap and placed her head on my chest, just like her mum used to do…

"_Oh Max what have you gotten me into?"_

**Hope you liked it, two chapters in one day, wooohooo. But seriously now, I will not be updating until I get AT LEAST 10 new reviews, 20 would be preferable but baby steps, don't worry ;) have a good one.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Yay another chapter! So howls 2015 treating you guys? Anyway I tried to make this one longer, hope you enjoy :)**

**Chapter 8:**

**Fang P.O.V**

Iggy, Nudge and Gazzy had left the living room in drips and drabs (once they had guaranteed I was no longer at flight risk), probably to attempt to salvage any hope of a normal day. Yea right! This was the most un-normal and amazing day we have had in four years. Max was alive; well I hoped she still was. The idea of seeing her again brought a smile to face and tears to my eyes. Both of which had been absent for quite some time, maybe she was right, maybe Nick could heal me.

The truth is I did not cope with Max's disappearance very well. I know I had promised to live on without her, to look after the flock and make sure they were safe and to some extent I did. Within the first six months I had found this place to live in - big, open, secluded, homely. Everything Max would have wanted. I even tried to get the kids into school, but they flat out refused and I was glad. Dealing with high school when you're a normal teenager was hard, but add in wings and broken hearts and you have a recipe for disaster. The kids tried to act happy, put a brave front, and eventually that act became reality and they all slowly… began to heal. Of course those wounds were ripped open when Angel was taken, but that's for a different time. I on the other hand, did not heal; I did not sit up one morning and find the inner strength to live today better than yesterday, and the simple reason for that was Max. She is, and always will be the love of my life and she left. I could do nothing but watch as she once again sacrificed so that we could live.

However, today I found my inner strength. It came wrapped in jeans, a t-shirt, dirty blond waves and bambi eyes and it was called Nicky. At the thought of her name her head rose from where it had been contently resting on my chest, playing with the fray of Iggy's jacket. She offered a toothy smile followed by a yawn. So, channeling my inner Max I picked her up and threw her over my shoulder and headed towards my bedroom. This was met with a series of little giggles as she tried to free herself from my clutch with no success. As I rounded the corner of the staircase three faces stared at me filled with amusement, and, was that relief? I gave a small shrug and continued my trek up the stairs chuckling as the girl continued her assault. _God, she was just like Max._

**Nicky P.O.V**

Daddy's room was huge! Way bigger than a dog crate. It was also very black, but I didn't mind. Once dad had put me down I bounded over to the bed and was nearly thrown off, it was so bouncy. A questioning glance grew across my face as I looked from the bed to daddy.

"It's not supposed to be hard and uncomfortable like the ones back… um, there." I nodded when I realized he was talking about The School. I was about to say something when he leapt up onto the bed and began to bounce, grinning down at me before picking me up and placing me next to him. I squealed in excitement and followed his lead, bouncing with all my might, completely oblivious to aunty Nudge who was standing at the door, eyes wide in surprise as they flicked between daddy and I.

"When you two kids are done lunch is ready."

"Are you tired? We can eat later," dad asked, a slight smile still tugging at his lips.

"Did uncle Iggy make it?"

"Uhhh… yea why?"

"Cause mummy said he was the best cook ever, and that you," I pointed at daddy, "were the worst." Both aunty Nudge and I erupted into giggles as dad's face fell.

"Well you obviously have never tasted your mother's cooking, because trust me when I say it is far worse than mine," dad said attempting to hold back his laughter.

"Oh whatever! Lets just go eat, Nicky I'll race you." And before daddy could stop us, both aunty Nudge and I were running for the stairs.

**Fang P.O.V**

I followed the girls downstairs, but in a more controlled manner; as I was the adult round here and could not be caught giggling and running around. I mean come on, I had a rep to protect. When I finally made it downstairs I was greeted by the smell of melted cheese and tomato,

"Ummm, pizza."

"What's pizza," Nicky asked from next to me, clearly reveling in the smell as well.

"OMG! They really did torture you there didn't they," Gazzy asked complete shock riddled all over his face. Nicky let rip yet another string of giggles before saying,

"No not me, just mummy. They only asked me lots of questions," before plopping down into a nearby seat at the kitchen island, eyeing the pizza greedily. She obviously had not registered the enormity of her words, as a familiar feeling of dread sent my heart into my stomach, and I noticed that same feeling had set in on the other three's faces.

"Don't worry uncle Iggy, she never hurt for too long cause I healed her, when I was in her belly I healed her from the inside and when I was out I healed her like healed you," she said calmly glancing at me.

Some of my dread dissipated with her words and I took the seat next to her, placing a piece of pizza on her plate. Her eyes went the size of saucepans and she began vigorously shaking her head.

"What? You don't want it? Don't worry we can make you something else. Well, I mean, Iggs can." I received a small scowl from Iggy for that last part.

"No, no, no. It's just that you gave me too much. I'm small so I should only get a small piece, so that there's enough," she stated, finding no flaw in her logic despite the masses of food that were sitting in front of her.

"What do you mean? There is tons of food, don't you worry everyone will get enough to eat. Promise," Nudge reassured Nicky.

"So, no rations?" And then it dawned on me, we had become so accustomed to this way of life we forget what it's like at The School, one small meal a day. Max and Nicky probably had to share one meal, which means they must have been hungry all the time. As if reading my mind, (well I guess she did) Nicky said,

"Oh no! We never went hungry. Uncle Ari made sure that mummy and I always got enough food, and medicine if one of us was sick." She was smiling as if she could actually reminisce in those memories. However, I heard nothing after Uncle Ari, I mean what? He helped. Why?

"Mummy said that someone had flipped his humidity switch, and now he was nice."

"I think you mean humility switch sweetie," Nudge corrected before tackling her first piece of pizza, which got Nicky, Gazzy and Iggy going to.

Everyone put the pizza on the quits after around their seventh or eighth slice, everyone except Nicky who was currently reaching for her ninth.

"Uhhh, Nick's are you sure you need another one, I mean you're pretty tiny and you are now about to eat more than Fang," Gazzy said musing over the new nickname.

"Yep," she answered popping the p before taking a bite.

"When was the last time you ate a proper meal hun?" Nudge asked, her face slightly green as she watched Nicky continue eating.

"Well yesterday we stole some fruit from that bowl when uncle Iggy left the room, but I guess you could say I've have never had a proper meal," she grumbled through cheesy lips while pointing to a bowl on the windowsill.

"I knew it! I told you somebody had stolen some fruit from the bowl I just knew it! But who believed me? That's right nooooo one, well I guess it was your loss cause no one got any apple pie," Iggy huffed.

"Yea? Well you may have been right DRAMA QUEEN but who did you go and blame? Yep me, aaand as I recall Einstein it wasn't me," Nudged semi-yelled whilst whacking Iggy upside the head. Nicky let loose a loud gasp and stared at Nudge, almost murderously?

"What? ZOMG do I have something in my hair, Iggy what have you done? Oh I am going to kill you," Nudge squealed panic stricken.

"Mummy said never to hit anyone, you should never stoop to the level of the erasers and whitecoats unless you're protecting yourself," Nicky proclaimed proudly. I know we should have taken her seriously but the four of us couldn't, and proceeded to erupt into fits of laughter, barely able to stay in our seats.

"Max… said… that" Gazzy stuttered in between his laughing.

"Because if she did… she… is the… biggest… hypocrite… I have ever met," Iggy gasped out setting on a whole new wave of laughs. When I had finally gained some composure I looked over at Nicky and said,

"Nicky, your mum used to do that all the time to us," her yes widened,

"BUT, she is right you, you should never do it okay?" She nodded and then finished her piece of pizza pushing the plate away before once again yawning.

"Alright go upstairs to my room and get some sleep, I will be up after I clean up okay?" I told her, and watched as she sauntered upstairs mumbling something like,

"Mummy has a lot of explaining to do", which just had us all in hysterics again.

**So there is chapter 8! Do you guys want some more Fang/Nicky P.O.V are should I writes some stuff from Max P.O.V? So chapter 9 will be up when I reach 35-40 reviews! So you guys know what do... REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :D ****til next time :) :) :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Don't hate me please guys! I know it has been ageeees once I have updated but I have been really busy. Anyway here is chapter 9, hope you like it :)**

**Chapter 9:**

**Gazzy P.O.V**

I watched in amusement as Fang's eyes flicked between the remaining slices of pizza and the fridge, probably wondering whether if they were worth keeping. Actually, that is what he SHOULD have been thinking. In reality he was working out the probability of getting away with eating the extra slices without any of us noticing. My eyes met Nudges and she rolled hers when she saw Fang in his indecisive state.

"Oh just eat em' already, we all know you want to," Nudge blurted out, subtlety was never her strong suit. Fang blushed, (well the equivalent of a Fang blush – which is really just nothing), but did not argue, stuffing both pieces into his mouth and tossing the plate into the general direction of the sink.

"Well your child is officially asleep my little one," Iggy announced entering the kitchen and patting Fang on the head. This received Iggs a stern look, which was wasted on him, you know due to his blindness and all.

"ZOMG guys! Now that she is asleep we can talk. Max is alive. She has a daughter. OMG Fang has a kid. You and Max have a kid. You're only 18, doesn't that freak you out? Are you like totally mad at Max right now? And guys OMG what if she never comes back, and you know neither does Angel? We can't… Oomph" Thankfully Iggy rudely interrupted her rant by thumping his hand against her mouth. Silence is bliss, (I am aware that is not that saying but for right now it is!).

"Nudge would you just stop, please! I've had no time to process anything so how am I supposed to answer your billion and one questions?" Fang retorted.

"Okay, okay, okay I'm sorry".

"Hey, have you noticed how she doesn't really call you anything?" Iggy asked tentatively, hoping not to get a similar telling off to Nudge.

"What do you mean of course she does, we've been talking all day", I could tell Fang was starting to get irritated but I just couldn't stop myself,

"No she doesn't, she usually just gestured or points, sometimes she refers to you as 'you'. Do you think Max told her to do that? Cause Nicky calling you Fang would just be weird, right?"

"I don't know, I mean I don't really know her so I guess I'm not reeeally her dad. Man, if Max doesn't make it back then she is gonna be alone. I mean, of course we will look after her and be there for her, but we haven't gotten to know her yet and I haven't felt this fatherly bond with her so how can we class her as family, you know what I…"

"Fang shut it", Nudge shout whispered looking over his shoulder towards the stairs. And there stood Nicky, face tear stained, she looked so vulnerable and helpless. Within seconds she was running back up the stairs, followed by the door slamming shut. O oh, I guess she heard what Fang was saying…

**Fang P.O.V**

"Crap, crap, crap", I muttered as I hauled myself out of the kitchen and towards the stairs, tailed by Iggy, Gaz and Nudge.

"We have known her for all of five minutes and I've already made her cry", I said bounding up the stairs two at a time before rounding the corner to my bedroom. When I got to the door I came to a halt, feeling Gaz stop just centimeters behind me.

"It's alright mate", he said patting my back.

"Yea Fang, you just gotta get in there and fix it, Max already said she loves you, so she will forgive you… hopefully", Nudge encouraged; the last part coming out as a whisper, probably not meant to be heard by moi. This was before she proceeded to knock on the door and shove me in, followed by Iggy closing the door, WITH THEM ON THE OTHER SIDE! Cowards. As I turned towards the bed I found a massive lump curled up under the covers and pillows in the middle, a slight sobbing escaping the threaded cave.

Doing my best not to disturb the sheets I sat down on the bed and began,

"Nicky I am so sorry. I didn't mean for you to hear any of that, I'm sure your mum will come back", I said whilst trying to figure out whether I believed my own words.

"And when I said you would be alone I didn't me that either. You're a part of Max, which means you're a part of the flock, which does make you family. I'm sorry that I ever doubted that…" I trailed off, internally smacking my head for saying otherwise. With a few more moments of sobbing a tiny voice rose from underneath the covers,

"Did you mean it when you said you weren't really my dad?" she whispered. That stunned me, honestly. Out of everything I had stupidly said that is what upset her, did she really want me as a dad?

"Yes," came the tiny voice again. I blinked, and blinked, and blinked again, (man I was really good at that), and then remembered to breathe, and then I remembered it was my turn to speak.

"Okay, well… I umm… promise to try? I don't know if I will be good at it though," I stuttered. And with that she crawled out from under the covers, adorned with blood shot eyes and a runny now, and snuggled into my chest, burying her face in my shirt. I sat there with her for what must have been at least two hours, and when she had finally dozed off I had come to the acceptance that I was her dad, and for some reason that made me feel just a little bit… happier.

**Hope you enjoyed that, I have some time for writing at the moment so the more reviews I get the more motivated I will be to write and update ;) just a little incentive for you guys! Have a great week ****byeee**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chappy number 10! double digits now. you guys are pretty lucky I'm updating cause it was depressing the number views I got on the last chapter... anyway enjoy the read, I made this one an extra long one :) **

**Chapter 10 :**

**Fang P.O.V**

When I woke up the sunlight was still streaming in through the blinds but it wasn't that warm orangey glowing type light just before sunset, but more of a bright in your face good morning light (you know what I mean). It was then I realized it was the next day! Nic's and I had slept for more than twelve hours. Geeeeez, we had definitely slept in. My slight movements stirred Nicky as well, and as her dopey eyes fluttered open she grinned, all remnants of yesterdays hiccup erased. Without warning she squealed,

"Race ya", and bolted for the door and down to the kitchen, and because I decided I didn't need a rep anymore I chased after her, obviously letting her win as I was a nice parent and all. A parent… that was just weird.

As we both came to a screaming halt just before the kitchen island we looked up, only to be greeted with two pairs of raised eyebrows and an oblivious Iggy who continued flipping pancakes.

"Mornin' you two", okay maybe Iggy wasn't so oblivious.

"Hello," Nicky greeted as I lifted her up onto a chair and poured her a glass of OJ, which she then proceeded to sniff before taking a massive gulp, almost spewing it everywhere when assaulted with the sour taste. Oops. We all then fell into a comfortable silence and went about our breakfast routine until the Nudge channel decided it was time for the 9am news,

"So why Nicky? What was Max's great plan there?" To be honest it was a good question, I had actually wandered it myself.

"Umm… it was after umm…", she looked up at me.

"It's okay." I said while smiling.

"Umm okay. It was after daddy," she stated simply, because that made sooo much sense. Um, no!

'What? But Fang's name is, well Fang?"

"Yes Gazzy, thank you for the reminder," I said sarcastically.

"I know that," Nicky whined.

"It's after his fake human name. The one you give to the police and stuff. I remember mummy said it was Fnick or something?" And then I realized what she was talking about, and obviously so did the rest of the flock because the three of them cracked up at the reminder of Fnick.

"Awww, well that's cute Max naming you after your dad", Nudge cooed after she was done laughing.

"Yea, I have more names too," she said proudly.

"Really? What are they?" I asked.

"My full name is Nicky Estella Arianna Izzy Petite Ride." We all just stared at her. Mouths wide. Like you would have thought we were TRYING to catch flies. But seriously, was Max drugged when she came up with those names?

"_Why? Just why_ _Max? What about just Nicky Ride, or was that just too simple for you; you just had to go turn our child's name into a tongue twister didn't you?"_ I thought. Nicky was obviously being nosy cause she giggled after that.

"Why so many names?" Igg pried.

"Well, Izzy is a combination of Iggy and Gazzy," they both grinned, making themselves look like complete IZZiots (see what I did there?)!

"Then, Petite is after aunt Angel, Arianna is after uncle Ari and Estella is after aunty Nudge" she finished.

"Wait, what? How?" Nudge stammered perplexed.

"Mummy said Estella means star in Spanish, and she said that you always were a 'rising star', so I guess it just describes you," Nick said, shrugging.

"Well that's nice of Max... But I've kinda accepted that's not gonna happen, so I guess we can forget about the 'rising star' thing."

Gazzy gave her a supportive smile and she received similar looks from both Nick and I – but who really surprised me was Iggy. He has moved away from the stove (ditching the already burnt pancake), and enveloped Nudge in his arms. There was a small stunned silence, which was written on all of our faces, but of course Iggy couldn't see them.

"Nudge you can still be whatever you want. Honestly," Iggs said stepping back towards the stove.

"Umm… yeah sure. Whatever you say Igg's," Nudge answered, still looking a little shell-shocked. Iggy had been doing things like that recently, well not with Gaz or I – but definitely with Nudge and it was getting weird. I would have to keep an eye on them.

"Iggy is right Nudge, I mean Max has a kid. _The_ Maximum Ride became a parent at the ripe age of what like 16? And she dragged Fang down that road with her", Gazzy chortled. I scowled at Gazzy for the last bit, pouring all my evil thoughts into this one glare.

"Anyways, what I'm saying is that if Max and Fang can be PARENTS, then you can be anything, the sky is the limit; literally.

"Have you guys been watching Oprah again, because I told you that was weird," Nudge giggled before giving both Iggy and the Gasman grateful looks.

"May I interject here guys," Iggy asked. We all looked up expectantly before we once again noticed he was blind and Nudge grunted to let him know to continue.

"Well, while you have all being talking about how Oprah is weird, the sky is Nudge's limit and OMG Fang and Max are parents no one except the BLIND GUY noticed that around 5 minutes ago Nicky left!"

My eyes narrowed to the seat next to me and to my horror Igg's was right, Nicky was gone…

So I officially sucked as a dad, in the past 24 hours I have managed to not only make my daughter cry but also lose her even when she was sitting right next to me!

"_Don't kill me Max, please"_, I thought to myself as I dashed out into the garden whilst the other three scoured the house. I whipped out my wings and took to the sky, deciding that finding her would be easier from the air. But just as I was making my second, desperate, round of the grounds Gazzy called out that they had found her and I released a breath I didn't even know I was holding.

"Where is she?" I demanded as I came to a skidding halt in the entry hall.

"Calm down dude, she's upstairs in the attic, but you might wanna get up there fast."

"What? Why? What happened? Oh God what did Iggy do?" I cried out as I hurled myself up the steps - this whole running around the house because of my daughter thing was becoming old very fast. I didn't hang around for Gazzy's response but my trained hearing did pick up on his muttering, something along the lines of,

"Geez, and we thought Max would be the paranoid parent." That brought a smile to my face, which quickly faded as I reached the attic door, which was barricaded by Iggy and Nudge.

"Guys move out the way!"

"Ummm, Fang I don't think you wanna go in there…"

"Ughhh, Iggy would you just move out of the way it's fine trust me".

"Fang just hold on! I have no idea what you could do anyway," Nudge said and then moved Iggy and her out of the way so that Gazzy and I could see what all the fuss was about. Gazzy next to me sucked in air and said,

"Okaaaaay, maybe you had a right to be paranoid." Incasing the whole attic room was this blue tinted force-field thing (I guess you could call it), and at its centre sat Nick, crumpled in on herself. Through the blue haze I think I could see photos scattered around her. I put my hand out to test the force field but at the last second Nudge grabbed my hand.

"We already tried that, well Iggy already tried that and it didn't go so well", she inclined her head towards Iggy's hand, which he was cradling against his chest.

"Well what are we supposed to do then?" I could hear the frustration and angst building in my voice as I watched my daughter, sobbing in a pathetic heap on the floor.

"We are just going to have to wait it out, she's not in danger or pain, she's just upset. Come on you two downstairs with me, Fang you stay up here with her okay?" I nodded and watched Nudge lead the guys downstairs.

"_Ok Max some guidance right now would be great. What the heck is going on, our daughter is surrounded by a [insert swear word of your choice] force field, I don't know any birds that can do that! Well, granted I don't know any birds that can read minds, control metal or breathe under water but that is beside the point! What am I supposed to do?" _

"_Dad?"_ a weak voiced called out inside my head.

"_Holy sh… schnauzer Nicky? What is going on?"_ It was such a strange experience communicating through my mind, Angel and Max used to do it all the time - it almost felt like an invasion, as if someone was trying to cram themselves into the little remaining space inside my head.

"_Mummy didn't mention this in the note, this is why the whitecoats never tortured me cause this scared them… I scared them", _I could feel her sadness as she sobbed flowing through me, as if we were linked. It was heartbreaking.

"_Hey, I'm not scared Nic's. Just worried about you, can't you stop this", _I was trying to be gentle and reassuring but I wasn't sure if I was concealing my inner freak out very well.

"_It stops when I calm down, this thing is tied to my emotions. The whitecoats think it is triggered by emotional dis… distress or something like that."_

"_Ummm… okay. So what is upsetting you?"_

"_I… ruined you and… mummies… and everybody's li…lifes."_ The waves of guilt and sorrow flooding through her and into me lead to tears stinging the back of my eyes.

"_Hun what are you talking about, you didn't do anything, it was The School, and whitecoats and those bloody erasers. Nothing is your fault!"_

"_But it is. If it wasn't for me mummy would never have been captured, she was forced to leave you so they could make me, you didn't even get to say goodbye…"_ I was about to respond when I heard a small cry and turned to see Nudge sobbing into Iggy's shoulder whilst both the boys had somber faces, both also tear stained. Gazzy came over and sat next to me and put his hand over mine. I gave him a quizzical look but all he said was,

"We heard everything between you two, close your eyes and watch." And with that Gazzy's memories flowed through his hands into my head where both Nick and I could see the memory Gazzy wanted to share with us.

What I saw shocked me. It was the same memory that ran through my head a dozen times a day. It was Max and I's final goodbye. There stood Jeb, and then there was Max and I. Max's forehead was pressed against mine, both of us had tears tracks on our faces. I listened to Max's speech where she told me she loved me, and how she had to go. The memory ended with Max kissing me on the lips and then walking away with Jeb.

"See Nicky, it was never your fault that Max left, it was those bastards who took her from us, never blame yourself. She may not have been able to say goodbye to everyone but that was never her choice…". With those last comforting words from Gazzy the force field dissipated and as I glanced into the attic there lay Nicky, pain written all over her face. I also saw the pictures scattered on the floor, they were ones of the flock, the very few times when we were safe and happy. My eyes were drawn to one of Max and I, her arms slung around my neck, we both looked so happy.

'_God Max I miss you."_

Then I turned to Gazzy,

"You saw, how? Everyone was knocked out?" Gaz shook his head,

"I was paralyzed but they hadn't managed to knock me out. So I saw you and Max, I never forgot it. I thought Nic's needed to see it, so she remembered who's really responsible for all of this. We all hurt Fang, you need to remember that." There were tears openly falling down his face, I was about to put my hand on his shoulder when he got up and quickly made his way down the stairs and locked himself in his room; not before slapping the door theatrically loud. Now I had two problems.

**Did you all like that? Good. Now go and review, it will take you all of 30 seconds, pleaseeee! I want at least 15 reviews before I next update thank you very much. p.s updates will be coming now once a week :) have a nice week byeee**


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